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Alright then Mr. M, I have read your complaint and have taken some time to think it over. I hope you understand that obviously it's never been my intention to suck all the air out of the forum, nor do I have any desire to shut down or override yours or anyone else's opinions. I generally see my musical opinions as the dissenting opinions (I'm well aware mine is rarely if ever going to be the majority opinion) and I think it's important to have different perspectives represented, and for all perspectives to be welcome. For better or worse I just have a more colorful and demonstrative way of expressing myself through the written word than maybe some other people do. I think I tend to be more of an animated and demonstrative communicator than most in real life as well, and certainly just as opinionated, I just don't get as many opportunities as I'd like to have these types of music-themed group discussions face to face. I'm not sure if anyone writes exactly the same way as they'd speak when talking to a group of friends or colleagues, and I also think it's normal for people to come across somewhat differently one on one than they might when part a larger group, either online or in person. By "internet persona" I just mean that you can't really know someone just from reading their forum posts in the same way that you could know them in real life, because you're only getting part of the picture. Everyone constructs a mental image of the people they post with on a regular basis. Not just what they look like, but their personalities and mannerisms and tendencies as well. And the longer you've interacted with someone, the more info you'll have gathered with which to construct that mental image. Sometimes when you have the chance to meet forum people irl the mental image can turn out to be pretty close, and other times it can be way off. I think many of us would like to believe we're the exact same person online as we are in real life, but I don't know how true I necessarily think that is. I suppose in a way we're all responsible at least in part for the mental images other people have concocted of us, because on a message board like this all the others get to see is what we've chosen to show them. But yet even at times when we feel like we're pretty much being an open book, we still have no control over how things will be taken, or how our motives and intentions and words can always be misconstrued. You talk of chest beating and pissing contests, and I honestly don't even understand what you're talking about. I thought we were just having some fun talking about music and trading a liittle harmless good-natured banter. To me that's maybe the best part of belonging to a forum (besides the opportunity to be verbose and long-winded) that you'll get to know people after posting together for awhile and hopefully you can get to a place where you'll all feel comfortable joking around with each other. For me this forum thing is just a lot more fun if we can all joke around a bit. Not surprisingly, different people from different backgrounds with different life experiences and from different generations will be accustomed to different types of banter. I'd imagine some people's idea of "banter" can be a bit more aggressive or more savage than others. I guess I do tend to forget that other people can sometimes be a bit more sensitive than I am to what I see as merely some friendly off the cuff banter between friends. I suppose there will always be some people who due to their more reserved natures will tend to take things more personally, or will be more likely to feel marginalized or disenfranchised like they think I'm trying to invalidate their opinions simply by asserting my own. And that's unfortunate. All I can really do at this point sir is apologize for any misunderstandings we may have had over the years, or if you feel I've "crossed the line" or in some way wronged you, and let you know that I do sincerely regret any offense or distress any of my brash outspokenness may have caused. I do think of you as a friend, and I would never want to harm or to wound a friend. I know I've made jokes at your expense, as well as jokes at the expense of some of the music you may like. But you have also reciprocated in kind with jokes of your own, and we've even talked about this issue privately in the past. So I guess I thought we were all cool and basically on the same page when it seems we really weren't. Clearly this is something that's been building up for some time and you felt you needed to get it off your chest. So if you're not enjoying my personal brand of good-natured banter Mr. M, then I don't know what else to tell you other than just offer to leave you out of it from here on out. Likewise if any of my strong opinions or "hot takes" or just outright dumping on some of the music you've posted have truly bothered or offended you so much, or if you feel comments I've made have been out of bounds or that I'm in some way ruining this forum experience for you by making everything all about me, then maybe I should just stop commenting on your posts and giving you my unwanted and redundant feedback on whatever you've might've been listening to lately. Fair enough? Thing is I really do enjoy exploring some of the random stuff people have posted that I might never have come across on my own because it's well outside of my normal comfort zone, and then reporting my findings back to the group. And you Mr. M have proven to be a gold mine of alternative musical suggestions outside of my comfort zone, which I do genuinely enjoy checking out, even if ultimately not many of them end up working for me. The good Doctor has even told me that he enjoys my little reports and I should keep up the good work. But I'm not trying to run anyone off, or dominate the narrative, or force my opinions down anyone's throat. I'm not even trying to persuade you to change your mind about any of this diverse music you like, because no one ese's opinion could ever change mine. You make it sound like you think I'm trying to filibuster and shout down any and all opposition to the Goat Party agenda, or turn us into some kind of a goat utopia. While from my perspective, I'm just some guy throwing my two cents worth into the ongoing discussion like anyone else can. I'm just one lone guy with some unpopular opinions, I really don't think I have as much power to control the overall forum narrative as you give me credit for. But yet as I've said, I can recognize that my idea of humor can miss the mark sometimes, and that not everyone is going to be in the mood for one of my hot takes or goat rants or be all revved up for a healthy debate at all times. Bottom line, we're all trying to have a little fun here, and if you're telling me it's not fun for you specificallly because of something I've said or done, then it's not gonna be fun for me either. We've known each other too long to be at odds. Even if I accept this role you've given me as "the contrarian," I don't want to be the source of anyone's discontent or be the one to torpedo their good time. That's not why I'm here. Rather, I'd like to think I do my share to contribute to the collective enjoyment we all derive from coming here.

I do like Leviathan a bunch and agree. For the time it came out, it was groundbreaking and quite the departure from what other "prog metal" bands were delivering. Mastodon always gives you what you expect but not always the way you expected it. I can't say I dislike anything they've done. And they're such a tight band. Hearing a CD is one thing, but seeing them live really drives home how good they are. I've seen them 3 times in drastically different venues and it's always spot on. No need for a live album because they sound exactly like the CD. Something fairly rare and I've only seen a handful of acts that can manage that: our beloved Rush, the Cure, Emperor, and Mercyful Fate. Not as crazy about the latest album, but it's good. Once More Round the Sun is usually my go to because it's a bit of an outlier in the discography and I just jam the shit out of it whenever the mood strikes. The only one I don't revisit often is The Hunter, but only because I didn't have it which I recently corrected. Just bought Tix to see them again in May with Gojira.

FUGA MASSIVA - Satanic Acid Punk BALB KUBROX - The Harrowing

Nailed it. The last 3 have been pretty enjoyable. Not genre defining classics or anything, but solid efforts with plenty of replay. I find myself reaching for those 3 more than the trinity these days. NP: Mastodon - Leviathan Mastodon - Crack the Skye

TOXIC HOLOCAUST - Brazilian Slaughter

Dead Cross - Dead Cross (2017) Dead Cross - II (2022) OSI - Office of Strategic Influence (2003) Spock's Beard - Beware of Darkness (1996) Xoth - Interdimensional Invocations (2019) Master - Master (1990) Brutal Truth - Need to Control (1994)

I wanted to respond to some of GG’s statements after a post where I initially questioned his desire to weigh on anything and everything that pops into his head. I started it, so to speak and figured it was worth addressing some of the points he made. The initial exchange was in the-what are you listening to now? I believe this is the appropriate thread. I sat on it for a few days, so here goes….. GG, we have a long history dating back to Metal-Fi. you’ve always asked for a straightforward pull no punches style so I know you’ll take this in the spirit it’s intended. I had meant to respond to a couple of your posts but didn’t have time to last week and wanted to gather my thoughts first. Goatmaster General Said: It is lamentable that this is how I have come to be seen by some of my forum colleagues, as this cranky irascible guy with the bad attitude who hates everything, the proverbial old curmudgeon shaking his fist at the skies. I don't see myself that way of course, not remotely, but I suppose it's understandable how others might get that impression, especially if they only know me by my internet persona. A question to start off with-kind of a non sequitur-what exactly is an internet persona? I know your IRL persona to a limited extent having met you in the flesh and I agree that your internet persona as you call it, your doppelganger as it were and the real man (behind the mask?) whom I met are two entirely separate things. My impressions after meeting you were of a guy who is fairly low key and not the oversized, opinionated, borderline obnoxious personality you sometimes present online. Internet persona: I find this a curious distinction. Most of us that post, I don’t believe, separate our two selves. Now, I may present more articulately online as I can choose my words and use the U of Google, but I’m pretty much the same guy- just Mark whether online or IRL-not “Marky Mark” btw, that's just annoying. I am (I’m Me). From time to time it does occur to me to make a conscious effort to restrain myself and bite my tongue. A little self editing would not be a bad thing. When we M-F outcasts came to the forums here, I wondered and hoped you and Dead might have learned from your time at M-F; behavior that I am convinced played a role in the exodus of posters from M-F and your subsequent ousting from the Vortex, all of which I was witness to. Taking accountability for my own verbose tendencies, I'll add that I may have been part of the downfall of M-F as well. But, clearly, a small group of posters rehashing and repeating the same points over and over became redundant and a turn off to a number of the so called non goat crew. In fact, some of our better "friends" who left told me so privately. It was disappointing to me as I had found a nice home there with some great guys who enriched my listening and I think was entirely avoidable. Dead, who has been conspicuously absent as of late, seems to have tempered his rantings but in your case, I am wondering if the old adage is true, that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. As an older dog myself, I’d like to think that I can still learn a few and adapt to my surroundings and try not to beat dead horses or repeat stump speeches ad nauseum. But I can assure you I mean no harm. My aim is simply to entertian. We're all friends here, right? A little prodding shouldn't be such a big deal. If we can't have a free exchange of ideas among our metal forum comrades then what's the point? I don’t doubt that you mean any harm. You blurt without thinking things through that much. You are absolutely entertaining. Certainly, we should be able to exchange our ideas as long as the exchange includes tolerance and respect for different personality styles. It needs to be said that there is a difference between joking between friends and put downs and insults. Personality differences aside, I think you lose sight of the fact that we all come here for different reasons. Sometimes I feel you want to force your expectations on the rest of us. Surely you realize, others don’t necessarily want to interact online in the brash way you do. Most people want to join a forum to share their interest in music, get some recommendations and call it a day. I’m prone to long discussions myself as evidenced by this post. That disclosure aside, this next point may sound a little harsh, but I think there’s a kind of arrogance thinking that anyone’s opinions are so fascinating that everyone would want to read everything you write. I’m often thinking, does he really think anyone is going to take the time to read all this redundancy? He’s said this 100 times before. And, IRL, I don’t think you behave this way. It’s bizarre to me. I have observed that most civilized people in our society allow themselves to be guided by the old adage: if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all. But that's just not me. For better or worse I'm gonna give you both barrels, the bad along with the good. Naturally I expect others to do the same (because who doesn't love reading a good rant or witty quip about some shitty band?) although clearly most of us aren't prepared to go that route and prefer to stay quiet and keep their more negative thoughts to themselves, as is of course their perogative. Sure, ranting is amusing, and at the end of the day you, I and anyone else can behave any way we like within the parameters the moderators set. Personally, I'm one to comment about genres or albums I don’t like that are being hyped, but generally, I’m more inclined to comment on a band or album that I DO like than I dislike, especially if it’s an album someone loves. I just don’t take pleasure in shitting on other peoples’ music because as you’ve written, music is something that makes you feel something, it’s emotional and most people have deep personal connections to their favorite music. Look we’ve had a lot of great dialogue and we’ve had our share of disagreements. I enjoy having an internet metal community as you do. You present yourself in your “online persona” as a highly opinionated individual. So, no, I'm not prepared to go your route as you stated above. We each have our own route. If I seem to get riled up from time to time, it's not because I'm "butt hurt" as you like to say, it's because I find overly opinionated people difficult to stomach and frankly exhausting to be around. They suck all the air out of a room or forum. I have enough challenging personalities in my personal life and at work. It's not the way I choose to interact with people here. This should be an enjoyable experience, a way to share and learn about music, and not (for me, anyway) to engage in endless chest beating, adolescent pissing contests. We are grown men.

METH LEPPARD - Discography SACCAGE - Charogne NEKROFILTH - Devil's Breath

Hi everyone, I felt it would possibly make more sense to share this here rather than the general forum. I'm doing a survey about perceptions of gender in hard rock and metal music for anyone who may be interested. There are 25 questions in total - not all of them are required and you can be as brief as you like with your answers. Some questions are multiple choice and others may ask for a little more detail. Thanks in advance to anyone who wishes to participate! Link to survey: https://s.surveyplanet.com/r7wuwl79

Ozzy - Diary of A Madman

I have yet to get into any newer Darkthrone. The couple albums they did after Sardonic Wrath got too far away from what I liked about them and I stopped keeping up. I had a lot of time for everything they'd done up to that point though. The ones I've listened to the most lately are Panzerfaust, Total Death, and Hate Them. Maybe it's time for another little Darkthrone run. My favorite of theirs by a mile. Really cool creative album. I was just messaging with a guy on another forum who's apparently roommates with one of the Mastodon guys and did some work on that album. Nifty.

Received Gaerea/Mirage in CD form today. Giving it a more thorough listen. So for later 2022 pick ups-that makes Gevurah/Gehinnom, mispyring /Með hamri, Wake/Thought from Decent, Gaerea/Mirage and I'll throw in Grimma/Frostbitten which I've had for a while that rounds up the end of 22 in black metal for me....not a bad wrecking crew I'd say. Still sorting out the albums. But think it might go something like this: 1.Mispyring 2. Grimma 3. Wake 4. Gaerea 5. Gevurah But those could be reversed any day of the week. And, 4 and 5 are really a toss up. Balancing ferocity and atmosphere and melody are the name of the game here, and with most BM in general, parsing out the balance between scorched earth and moments of darky beauty.

I happened to watch both Spinal Tap and Bad News (+ More Bad News) a few months ago. To be honest, neither hold up that great. I mean there are some classic moments, but I wasn't rolling in the aisles. Nostalgia holds these things together. Both films are more interesting now simply from an anthropological standpoint. In that sense, they are documentaries. But, I do listen to the Bad News album every now and then and still crack up. I'll be walking down the street and realise I'm grinning like an idiot. RIP Rik, you beautiful bastard. I saw him on the tube once, coming back from a gig at Hammersmith. I don't remember what the gig was but I remember him.

Darkthrone - Old Star (2019) On a modern Darkthrone kick this week. Really into Eternal Hails and don't mind the new one either. Nothing ground-breaking but nice to see all those influences that saw Fenriz create numerous side/solo projects over the years, release one or two albums and then cease finally just being allowed to roam throughout the Darkthrone output.

Agreed, was spinning Katedralen the other day. Got drunk. Did the pre-order. Alcohol not necessary for the purchase.

Slayer - Reign In Blood

Ramping up my 22 grabs over the last couple of weeks: Sigh-Shiki Ken Mode-Null Spiritworld-Deathwestern Voivod-Synchro Anarchy Crippled Black Phoenix-Banefyre Dream Unending/Song of Salvation Wake-Thought from Decent Will probably also grab the new Acephalyx album